Suicide risk and psychopathology in immigrants: a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Suicide risk and psychopathology in immigrants: a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis Paolo Iliceto • Maurizio Pompili • Gabriella Candilera Guilherme Borges • Dorian A. Lamis • Gianluca Serafini • Paolo Girardi
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Received: 15 April 2012 / Accepted: 8 October 2012 / Published online: 25 October 2012 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
Abstract Background Immigrants may experience several negative consequences as a result of their migration including discrimination, unsatisfactory economic conditions, and rejection from the host countries, which may contribute to psychiatric illness and vulnerability to suicidal behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether or not the theorized components of measured dimensions of suicide risk and psychopathology vary across samples of Italians and immigrants. Methods We investigated 237 Italians and 234 immigrants, who were administered self-report questionnaires to assess temperament (TEMPS-A), hopelessness (BHS), personality (EPQ-R), and self–other perception (9AP).
Results Multi-group confirmatory factor analyses were conducted, which yielded a final model with an excellent fit to the data (v2(53) = 57.56; CFI = 0.994; RMSEA = 0.014). This final model fits significantly better than the previously tested models and indicated that the same pattern of relationships was found between suicide risk and psychopathology across both groups. Conclusions Although immigrants represent a unique population and may experience specific stressors contributing to psychopathology and suicide risk, our findings suggest that the samples of Italians and immigrants may be more similar on the study variables under investigation than previously thought. Implications are offered for the improved identification and treatment of immigrants and resident citizens in Europe in general and in Italy in particular.
P. Iliceto M. Pompili (&) G. Serafini P. Girardi Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Functions, Suicide Prevention Center, Department of Psychiatry, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, 1035 Via di Grottarossa, 00189 Rome, Italy e-mail: [email protected]
Keywords Hopelessness Immigration Multi-group CFA Personality Self–other perception Temperament
M. Pompili McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, USA G. Candilera S&P Statistics and Psychometrics Ltd, Rome, Italy G. Borges Metropolitan Autonomous University and National Institute of Psychiatry, Mexico City, Mexico D. A. Lamis Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA D. A. Lamis Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
Introduction The number of immigrants to European countries has significantly increased over the past two decades with an estimated 10 % of the European population being born outside of the country they currently live [1, 2]. Migration is defined as a process during which an individual moves from one cultural sett
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